Arts & Issues

2018-2019 Season

Arts & Issues and SIUE Xfest present:

Deeply Rooted Dance Theater

Chicago’s Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) is rooted in traditions of American and African-American dance, storytelling and universal themes that spark a visceral experience and ignite an emotional response in diverse audiences worldwide. DRDT collaborates with nationally renowned choreographers across the spectrum of modern, ballet and African dance to reflect contemporary voices.

“[Deeply Rooted is] the city’s answer to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, yet with a profile very much its own… spiritual fervor, physical prowess, and sheer, unalloyed joy in movement.”

Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

Sponsored by:

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

See these additional  shows in SIUE’s Metcalf Theater:

Bouffon Glass Menajoree by Ten Directions, St. Louis, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.
Type/Caste by Rotimi Agbabiaka, San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Eddie Poe by The Coldharts, New York City, Thursday, Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m.

For Xfest shows (other than Deeply Rooted Dance Theater) tickets may be purchased through the Theater and Dance Department by calling 618-650-2774 or in person at the Theater and Dance Box Office, Dunham Hall, Room 1042b.

Fred Gray

Bus Ride to Justice - The Montgomery Bus Boycott

Monday, November 5, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Meridian Ballroom, Morris University Center

Fred David Gray is a nationally recognized civil rights attorney who helped change history. After earning his law degree in 1954, the young attorney was thrust into the national spotlight in 1955 when he represented Rosa Parks after her arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus. The incident sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which is considered the beginning of the civil rights movement. Despite the danger in fighting segregation in the deep South, Gray helped organize the boycott that brought a young, unknown minister, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to the attention of the world. Gray went on to serve as King’s first civil rights attorney. With a legal career that has spanned more than half a century, Gray has won multiple landmark civil rights cases. Hear the riveting story of this important chapter in American history and Gray’s fight to destroy segregation.

Sponsored by:

 SIUE Office of the Provost

 SIUE Department of Political Science

The Other Mozart

Written, created and performed by Sylvia Milo
Directed by Isaac Byrne
Music composed by Nathan Davis and Phyllis Chen

Wednesday, November 28, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Dunham Hall Theater

The Other Mozart is the true, forgotten story of Maria Anna (Nannerl) Mozart, the sister of Amadeus–a prodigy, virtuoso and composer–who performed throughout Europe with her brother, to equal acclaim. Yet her work and her story faded away, lost to history. The play is based on facts, stories and lines pulled directly from the Mozart family’s humorous and heartbreaking letters.

“Strikingly beautiful” The New York Times

“A gem of a show” The Stage, London

Appropriate for 13 and up; some adult language. 

Sponsored by:

Don't miss the pre-show dinner in the University Restaurant Fixins'prior to The Other Mozart! 

Preferred seating is available for those who attend the preshow SIUE Friends of Music dinner buffet prior to The Other Mozart. For those attending the dinner, Arts & Issues will donate your ticket purchase for the play to the Friends of Music scholarship fund for our SIUE students. Tickets for the dinner are $25 and can be purchased through Arts & Issues.There will be a reception with cash bar at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:00 p.m. If you need additional information, please call 618-650-5194.

Note: The Friends of Music Benefit Dinner is not included in the Arts & Issues ticket subscription package. Tickets to the benefit dinner must be purchased separately. 

Dr. Keeling’s Curve

Starring Mike Farrell
from the series M*A*S*H and Providence

Friday, March 1, 2019, 7:30 p.m.
Dunham Hall Theater 

Noted actor and activist Mike Farrell plays Dr. Charles David Keeling, the scientist whose research on carbon dioxide (CO2) gave the world its first early warnings of global warming. In this highly acclaimed performance, Farrell brings to life the quirky and brilliant man who created the Keeling Curve, the iconic chart that illustrates the rise in atmospheric CO2 levels from 1958 to the present.

The story combines Keeling’s personal journey with the insights of atmospheric scientists who, hundreds of years earlier, made discoveries that laid the foundations for Keeling’s own extraordinary work. We meet Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier, whose obsession with heat led to an understanding of the greenhouse effect, and Svante Arrhenius, who proved a link between global warming and CO2. The play paints very human portraits of these and other great scientists. There will be a short panel discussion with climate scientists after the show.

Sponsored by:

Don't miss the pre-show dinner prior to Dr. Keeling's Curve! 

Preferred seating is available for those who attend the preshow SIUE Friends of Theater and Dance dinner buffet prior to Dr. Keeling's Curve. For those attending the dinner, Arts & Issues will donate your ticket purchase for the play to the Friends of Theater and Dance scholarship fund for our SIUE students. Tickets for the dinner are $25 and can be purchased through Arts & Issues.There will be a reception with cash bar at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:00 p.m. in the Morris University Center Conference Center on the second floor. If you need additional information, please call 618-650-5194.

Note: The Friends of Theater and Dance Benefit Dinner is not included in the Arts & Issues ticket subscription package. Tickets to the benefit dinner must be purchased separately. 

Arts & Issues and the SIUE Center for Spirituality and Sustainability present

Orchid Ensemble

Saturday, April 6, 2019, 7:30 p.m.
Center for Spirituality and Sustainability 

Experience the musical fusion of east and west in an intimate and stunning space. The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability on SIUE’s campus is the location for this unique and innovative concert with the Orchid Ensemble. Established in 1997, the JUNO nominated trio is Lan Tung (Taiwan/Canada) on the erhu/Chinese violin, Dailin Hsieh (Taiwan) on the zheng/Chinese zither, and Jonathan Bernard (Canada) on percussion. The group blends ancient musical instruments and traditions from China and beyond, creating a beautiful new sound. They embrace a variety of musical styles for its repertoire, ranging from the traditional and contemporary music of China, world music, new music to jazz and creative improvisation.

“One of the brightest blossoms on the world music scene.” The Georgia Straight

Sponsored by: WSIE 

Arts & Issues and the Ann and Earl Lazerson Lecture Series Present

Dr. John Q. Walker - Solving Alzheimer’s

Millions of people have symptoms of cognitive impairment, and test results can show their progression to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. There are often dozens of factors that contribute to any person’s cognitive decline – including genetics, blood chemistry, medications, medical history, diet and lifestyle. These vary widely from person to person. When addressed together, the progression of symptoms can be avoided, slowed, or even rolled back. Dr. John Q. Walker will discuss pioneering work in this “multivariable” approach, bringing mathematics, statistics, artificial intelligence and bioinformatics to a medical topic that has failed to yield to a “one disease, one drug approach.”